Posts Tagged ‘ The Bible 2 ’

AJJ: November 7, 2017 Bowery Ballroom

November 12, 2017
By


[photos by Ash Craiig]

This year is the tenth anniversary of AJJ’s (then known as Andrew Jackson Jihad) second release, their breakout album People Who Can Eat People Are the Luckiest People in the World. In celebration, the band’s founders Sean Bonnette and Ben Gallaty are touring as a duo and opening the shows by playing the album straight through. The second half of the show is a selection of material from this post-People period of their career. The tour reached Bowery Ballroom last week for an inspired and intimate show that permitted AJJ’s rabid fans an up close and personal experience of this duo show.

Sean and Ben were up for the challenge, as the acoustic guitar and stand-up bass/cello filled the room while Sean’s fervent vocals delivered the personal material with the commitment that made the album such an important step in the evolution of the anti-folk movement ten years ago. The sold out Bowery crowd sang along with every word and you can hear them clearly on the recording — not as hindrance but as a true part of the performance. AJJ also talked and joked with the crowd about a variety of experiences and random thoughts, so that it almost felt, as Ben quipped, like a session of “AJJ Storytellers”. There were a few positive wrinkles in the setlist for this show including a fan request honored for the Todd Snider cover “Just Like Old Times” that contained a very special introduction for us. AJJ also called a few audibles, the most notable being what appears to be the first tour appearance of “Small Red Boy”, the emotional center of the band’s most recent album The Bible 2. We are not sure when AJJ will return to NYC — likely on the cycle of a new album tour — but we’ll of course be there. The current tour continues throughout November and into December, all dates here. The band will also return East for what I believe is a full band show at the Front Bottoms Champagne Jam in Asbury Park NJ in December.

I recorded this set with the Schoeps mounted in our standard place at the front of the balcony and mixed with a perfect feed from house FOH Danielle. The mix captures both the clear sound of the feed and the audience participation of the room mics for a superbly balanced recording. We’re really happy with this one. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

AJJ
2017-11-07
Bowery Ballroom
New York NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [Engineer: Danielle] + Schoeps CCM4u Cardioids > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wav files > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3 and tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:19:36]
01 [introduction]
02 Rejoice
03 Brave as a Noun
04 Survival Song
05 Bad Bad Things
06 No More Tears
07 Bells and Whistles
08 Randy’s House
09 [banter – Apple Kore]
10 A Song Dedicated to the Memory of Stormy the Rabbit
11 People II The Reckoning
12 [banter – Creepy]
13 Personal Space Invader
14 People
15 American Body Rentals
16 Jesus Saves
17 American Tune
18 Fuckboi
19 Fucc The Devil
20 [banter – shoutout]
21 Just Like Old Times [Todd Snider]
22 All The Dead Kids
23 Unicron
24 Coffin Dance
25 [banter – yelling]
26 Growing Up
27 Sense and Sensibility
28 Small Red Boy
29 Linda Ronstadt
30 Little Prince
31 [banter – philharmonic]
32 Big Bird
33 [encore break]
34 American Body Rentals (again)

SUPPORT AJJ: Website | Facebook | Purchase The Bible 2 from SideOneDummy Records [HERE].

AJJ: November 6, 2016 Warsaw BK

November 13, 2016
By

ajj_byericalauren02
[photos by Erica Lauren]

“You’re an irreplaceable human soul with your own understanding of what it means to suffer” sings Sean Bonnette in AJJ’s “People II 2: Still Peoplin'”. The band formerly known as Andrew Jackson Jihad has spent its decade-long career writing songs about the myriad of issues involving depression, anxiety and bi-polar disorders. This year AJJ released its sixth full-length album The Bible 2 and the record offers a breakthrough of sorts — not in a traditional music industry sense — but rather a true explication of a path beyond a life dictated by the limitations of mental illness. The linked tracks “No More Shame, No More Fear, No More Dread” and “Small Red Boy” plot a path to wellness through self-determination. While the message may not work for everyone, the concept that we are in control of our own destinies — even if only a little bit — is inspiring and hopeful. AJJ has often used dark humor to offset the troubles of the characters in their songs, but the protagonist in songs like “People II: The Reckoning” lives in a spiral of “manic depression” that “comes and goes”. The Bible 2 offers a character who swears off doubt, resentment, fear, and fixations, and ultimately controls the inner devil “Red Boy” through power, truth and nurture.

AJJ are currently on tour in support of the new album and arrived in Brooklyn last Sunday for a show at Warsaw. This is the band’s third performance at this venue, after the date last year that we recorded at Knitting Factory. From the outset, the energy was palpable — this is a band with a tremendous relationship with its fans. There was two times during the night when AJJ had to ask the crowd to move back to prevent crushing the people up front. The set was culled from a strong representation of the band’s best material and included most of The Bible 2. In the end, it was clear that this is a band at the top if its game and offering a message that is both welcome and necessary for all of its fans.

I recorded this set by using the hypercardioid Neumanns from the front of the soundboard in this large venue. The excellent board feed was provided by the band’s superb touring FOH Stripes and the mix resulted in a recording of which we are extremely pleased. Enjoy!

Download the Complete Show [MP3] / [FLAC]

Stream the Complete Show:

AJJ
2016-11-06
Warsaw
Brooklyn NY

Digital Master Recording
Soundboard + Audience Matrix

Soundboard [engineer Stripes] + Neumann KM-150s > Sound Devices 744t > 2 x 24bit 48kHz wavs > Soundforge (post-production) > CDWave 1.95 (tracking) > TLH > flac (320 MP3/tagging via Foobar)

Recorded and Produced by nyctaper

Setlist:
[Total Time 1:32:27]
01 [introduction]
02 The Michael Jordan of Drunk Driving
03 Gift of the Magi Two
04 Distance
05 Cody’s Theme
06 [banter – false start]
07 Fucc The Devil
08 Love in the Time of Human Papillomavirus
09 A Song Dedicated to the Memory of Stormy the Rabbit
10 Bad Bad Things
11 Coffin Dance
12 Do Re And Me
13 American Garbage
14 [banter – Erica]
15 Little Prince
16 People II – Still Peoplin
17 Rejoice
18 El Paso Border Patrol
19 My Brain Is A Human Body
20 No More Shame, No More Fear, No More Dread
21 Personal Space Invader
22 Love Will Fuck Us Apart
23 Back Pack
24 Terrifyer
25 [banter – Samsung]
26 Heartilation
27 Kokopelli Face Tattoo
28 Black Dog
29 Goodbye, Oh Goodbye
30 Small Red Boy
31 When I’m A Dead Boy
32 Big Bird
33 [encore break]
34 Brave as a Noun

SUPPORT AJJ: Website | Facebook | Purchase The Bible 2 from SideOneDummy Records [HERE].

ajj_byericalauren01

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